Body of missing tourist found after being swept into the sea in Lanzarote
The Guardia Civil has confirmed that the body of a young American tourist who was swept into the sea on Sunday in the south of Lanzarote has been found. Specialist divers from the GEAS underwater unit located the body earlier today, Tuesday, around 20 metres from the spot where the incident occurred.
The victim was one of four American students from Madrid, all aged between 19 and 21, who were hit by a powerful wave in the area of Los Charcones. Although three of them managed to survive with the help of emergency services, the fourth, who would have turned 21 soon, was dragged underwater.
A major search operation had been underway since Sunday, involving Maritime Rescue boats, a helicopter from the Canary Islands Emergency Group (GES), two GEAS diving teams, firefighters with a watercraft, and support from Yaiza’s Local Police, who deployed a drone with a thermal camera.
The group had accessed Los Charcones on foot despite a closed road marked by a barrier. At the time of the accident, a weather warning was in force for dangerous coastal conditions across the Canary Islands, with authorities predicting waves exceeding five metres in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. Bathing in the area was strictly prohibited due to the conditions.
Two of the surviving young men were left among the rocks with only minor injuries and declined medical treatment. A third was rescued around 800 metres offshore by a helicopter.
Los Charcones is known for its natural pools and is popular on social media, but emergency services warn that the coastline can be extremely dangerous, especially during high-swell alerts.
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